This blog contains a number of simple money saving solutions I have discovered to potentially expensive repairs or replacements.
For Example:
Cleaning of the shower mould using domestos grot buster saved me hundreds of pounds, and the fact that it keeps the mould out of the caulk saves me hours of additional cleaning.

Tuesday, 13 December 2016

I showed how to make your own toys. In this video I'll show you how to restore the chewed ones to reshaped and revitalise them and remove any chewed sharpened points.

So The Toys Will Last A very Long Time - No More Need To Buy New Replacements.

#fixed1tMONEYSAVINGtips

It doesn't take our two sight hounds long to start chewing up new toys they can destroy shop bought toys in a matter of days leaving the bits scattered all over the house.

As you can see below they have already given the figure of eight I made

and the old re-vitalised bone I made:

a good chewing.

But as you saw in the above video, its easy to revitalise so the toys just go on working. If you do end up throwing some of the badly chewed bits after, either deliberately or by vacuuming them up, then just add a few more Polymorph beads to the hot what to make up for the loss.

Monday, 12 December 2016

I've just stumble across a new Amazon Certified Refurbished technology site, which appears to offer high quality certified technology refurbished products for much less than their original 'New' technology prices. It looks like a great place to look before ordering the NEW item to give you some idea of the used prices of things.

I've therefore included a link to it on the left hand vertical banner of this blog, it looks a bit like the picture included below.

I must get round to selling some of the refurbished technology I have repaired, modified and updated.

How To Make Your Own Plastic Dog Chew Toys. We all know they are great for giving your dog(s) something to chew on so they aren't chewing on your furniture, home or children.

Although they aren't expensive. They tend to be made from cheap non-recycleable plastics and choking rope threads.

The best way to control and save they money you spend on these items is to simply make your own plastic toys. In this video I show you how to simply make your own with nothing more than a pan or cup of hot water and your imagination.

They Last For As Long As You Want - No More Buying new ones.

#fixed1tMONEYSAVINGtips

To find out more about Polymorph and where to buy it Clicl On The Link Below:

You don't need a #plumbing #Degree topic a running dribbling toilet, watching these #fixed1tMONEYSAVINGtips videos may be the only #insurance you need.

Fixing Constantly Running Dual Flush Toilet By Replacing The Flap Valve Washer
If your toilet continues to dribble constantly running water into the toilet bowl after it flushes and you can't here the refill valve refilling the cistern, then the flap valve is leaking. This video shows you how to get to the flap valve to clean it or replace it, thereby solving the problem.

If after carrying out the instructions in the video you discover that the fluid master inlet valve seal washer is perished or deformed in such a way to make it useable then the cheapest solution is to purchase a replacement. They are really cheap and around 10% of the cost of a new unit and could save over 30 mins and a wet floor from trying to replace the entire unit.

In my case it was the Fluidmaster 242 Replacement Seal

Check the name of your refill unit, before buying anything, if yours is not a Fluidmaster 242 then use this link to search for it.

Tuesday, 22 November 2016

You don't need a #plumbing #Degree topic a running dribbling toilet, watching these #fixed1tMONEYSAVINGtips videos may be the only #insurance you need.

To Carry Out Any Work On A Modern Dual-Flush Toilet You Must First Turn Off The Water Supply To The Toilet And Then Remove The Toilet Tank Lid. If This Is Not Done Properly, The Toilet And
Its Internal Mechanisms Will Be Damaged

This HOW TO Video Shows How I Turn Off The Water And Take Off The Lid Without Damage.

Thursday, 17 November 2016

If your thinking of purchasing a simple to use Capsule/Pod Coffee Machine that uses the full range of Nespresso Capsules but that can also make an excellent cup of coffee using the cheaper ALDI, LIDL, Morrisons and other capsules, I can throughly recommend the Nespresso Inissia from KRUPS.

This is really simple to set up, use and clean and would make somebody an excellent Christmas Present.

I now have the KRUPS Nespresso Inissia and love it:

You may get an even better deal in the Black Friday sales

Its cheap small and easy to use, I'd throughly recommend it and my #fixed1tMONEYSAVINGtips make it all the better as can be seen in my fixed1t YouTube playlist

Tuesday, 15 November 2016

I unboxed and tested the RYOBI Electric Leaf Blower, Sucker And Shredder. The following day after heavy rain I went out to pick up the Dog Mess (poo) but there were more leaves down. So I got the RYOBI out to BLOW THEM AWAY. But It was on suck.
You Won't Believe The Results !!! It Totally Surprised Me I expected a Stinking Mess To Clear Up In The Machine And Bag
Great Result Confirms My Purchase Decision

You don't need a #Science #Degree or to take out a huge #credit agreement to pay together rid of the health hazard caused my mildew and told. Just watching these #fixed1tMONEYSAVINGtips videos may be the only #insurance you need.

We can all get a build up of horrible black Mildew or Mould in the Kitchen Silicon Caulking Sealant. I'd been fostering a clean line of Mould at the back of the kitchen sink for years, now I had just a weekend to get rid of it using the fixed1t method and new bleach.

With patience you will be stunned by the results

#fixed1tMONEYSAVINGtips

If your having trouble finding Mr Muscle - Thick Bleach Gel, it can be ordered from Amazon.co.uk
using the link below:

I just went on Amazon.com to search for Mr Muscle - Thick Bleach Gel and its showing up at a

truly bonkers price of:

Now I know that some folks are worried about BREXIT etc but the price is totally crazy. Perhaps somebody can give me some name of thick USA gel bleaches so I can find one that works for you.

Only to feel I've been Ripped-Off
When I Discover They Are Utterly Useless and either don't work or give some spurious full or empty readings.

This may sound trivial, but when you put multiple Alkaline or other batteries in a device, they are not all discharged at the same time or to the same amount.

Whilst some batteries in a group can be apparently flat, 2 or 3 other my have 60 or 70% charge remaining. Therefore is best to have a tester that gives you the voltage, remaining current and perceived load so you can decide which alkaline's to use a bit longer and which you'll throw away.

I've Found One That Works And Recommend It, below is my fixed1t video if you haven't seen it.

Tuesday, 4 October 2016

"The German city of Hamburg has banned coffee pods from state-run buildings as part of an environmental drive to reduce waste. " Looking at their so-called green procurement policy " the German city of Hamburg last month introduced a ban on buying "certain polluting products or product components" with council money. The ban includes specific terms for "equipment for hot drinks in which portion packaging is used" - specifically singling out the "Kaffeekapselmaschine", or coffee capsule machine, which accounts for one in eight coffees sold in Germany."

The problem is not that the individual components within a coffee capsules cannot be recycled, its that mixed together they are difficult, expensive and time consuming to separate and are therefore a expensive contaminate to the recycling system.

Nespresso do not apparently give figures on the amount of returned pods that are recycled and how many are dumped, often people think that because Nespresso has a collection service for old pods that these are all being recycled ethically and re-used.

This is why I decided to investigate this myself and to work out a method to enable me to recycle any of the Aluminium capsules I use which a often the Nespresso brand, as other use plastic pods.

The instructions in my video show how to quickly separate the components in their recyclable parts so that you can drink great coffee but not add to the problem.

Click For My Blog Post and Watch My Pod Recycling Video
Leaving the recycling to the manufacturer merely passes the buck and clears the conscience if you believe they are ethically disposing of them. But lets face it, big business isn't renowned for its willingness to use 'profit' to help the environment when there are cheaper options. Shareholders aren't pleased to be told their dividend was spent clearing the waste ;-) But read the article yourself.

This video is about How To Enviromentally Recycle Foil Coffee Capsule Pods

fixed1t Enviromental Tips

The Nespresso Coffee Machine has heralded in the mass use of the one-off quick use Capsule And Pod coffee making and drinking.

People have wrongly assumed that these COFFEE CAPSULES and PODS are recyclable. Sadly this is not the case due to their mix of metal and organic matter. But for those that care about the environment but want to drink their lovely fresh coffee, this is how fixed1t recycles them! #fixed1tENVIROMENTALtips

I now have the KRUPS Nespresso Inissia and love it:

Its cheap small and easy to use, I'd throughly recommend it and my #fixed1tMONEYSAVINGtips make it all the better as can be seen in my fixed1t YouTube playlist

Monday, 19 September 2016

Due to the successful Quartz Clock Module repairs completed by none subscribed viewers I've decided to create a new Quartz Clock Fix playlist, If you have watched the videos and have broken clocks with Quartz Modules in them in your house, then its time to watch. If you also have kids that want to do something clever and practical here's a great task for them #fixed1tMONEYSAVINGtips

Tuesday, 7 June 2016

My partner Debbie has had her GoKart Golf Trolley for a couple of years and recently the battery charger started refusing to charge the battery. After various attempts to charge it proved only moderately successful she decided to invest in a new battery.

Visiting the GoKart site, she discovered their 18 hole Lithium Batteries were over £199 UK and I therefore had a hunt around eBay etc. We found a suitable battery, but the Battery Case is actually an integral part of the GoKart Trolley without the Battery Caddy it flops about.

So I set about working out how to replace the original Lithium Battery in the original Caddy with the purchase OEM battery she obtained from a company on eBay for just over £65, a huge saving by any standards.

This video is about Saving Over £150 Replacing GoKart Electric Golf Trolley Lithium Battery by purchasing and refitting an OEM Lithium Battery and charger.

This shows you the step by step method I used to replace the GoKart Lithium battery with an OEM Lithium Battery purchased off eBay for just over £65. The manufactures battery is over £199.

#fixed1tMONEYSAVINGtips

If you need to replace the battery I have put a link below to find the one I used.

Thursday, 2 June 2016

This video is about Why AA Rechargeable Batteries Don't Work In Some Devices - Part 3

In this video I insert a pair of MAPLINS rechargeable batteries into an Apple Mouse to see if they are capable of powering the Apple Mouse.

In Part 4 I will test another pair of rechargeable batteries in the Apple Mouse, to test my theory that: "the size of the battery and the tips dictates whether the rechargeable AA batteries will work as a substitute as an alkaline substitute" #fixed1tRESEARCH #fixed1tMONEYSAVINGtips

Friday, 20 May 2016

This video is about My Recue Dog Skippy And The Mysterious Back Pack Raid

Skippy is a LURCHER a Greyhound/Saluki Cross around 11 months old, he was mistreated and thrown out of a moving vehicle and hit by a car. This resulted in his Left Back Leg being amputated. We met him on his first ever walk and decided to take him home for a trial. We love him and he likes sparing and racing with our other 3 year old rescue lurcher Bree. He is into everything, but as I discovered you can't leave him near even hidden food for a second.

Sunday, 15 May 2016

This question has arisen from comments to my recent video below on Why AA Rechargeable Batteries Don't Work In Some Devices:

Sadly its a common misconception, except in those circuits that have been deliberately devised to take advantage of the extra .3 volt. In reality the 1.5V battery doesn't stay 1.5V for very long as it drains the voltage goes down rapidly as does its current. It will reach 1.2 V pretty quick. The Rechargeable Batteries on the other hand retain their 1.2 volts under load and will do so until all the current has gone in which case the voltage dives down. In fact I found a great chart:

In an excellent article by a fellow Radio Amateur Roy Lewallen. the link is at the end of this blog article.

The only time the lack of voltage has a real effect is where the speed of a devices is linked to the voltage in a cheap design, without constant current circuitry in place, and thats usually linked to a specific manufacturers devices. But the Alkaline Battery manufactures are more than happy for you to by their use once batteries, again and again...But you don't have to believe me read this great article, it describes things better than I can here. I will increase your worldly 'geek' knowledge and save you money down the line.Please share this Blog entry with your friends and relatives so they too can make the right decision.“1.5 Volt” vs. “1.2 Volt” Batteriesby Roy Lewallen

In this video series I investigate why some AA Rechargeable Batteries Don't Work In many Devices and Toys. In this Part 1 video I look at the physical aspects of the batteries and how they make affect performance. In part two I will look more closely at the battery items. #fixed1tMONEYSAVINGtips

Saturday, 30 April 2016

This is the fair-trade coffee with chicory I used in my Pod Capsule video.

Sainsbury French Style Coffee With Chicory

Its from Sainsbury supermarket UK. A 227g bag costs £2.30 which for chicory coffee is an excellent price.

Its incredibly tasty as there is a roughly 45% mix of Coffee and Chicory, if you like strong coffee this could suit your taste.

What I also noticed was that because I wasn't packing the coffee into the Pod capsule very hard, it allowed more air and water flow that led to a much tastier frothy coffee as can be seen in the video.

This video is about Saving 85% On Nespresso Espresso Coffee With Reusable Pod Capsules

fixed1t Money Saving Tips I showed in my last video how using a refillable reusable Coffee Pod can reduce the costs. In this video I show how I quickly batch produce 9 x modified plastic reusable refillable Pods and store them fresh for immediate use I also calculate the cost saving per 9 x Pods

Friday, 29 April 2016

The cost of the coffee for Nespresso Coffee Machines and their competitors is expensive. Much more expensive than the bags of excellent cafetiere coffee. In this video I try out the Refillable Reusable Pods, identify issues and show a great fix. Using this technique I get an excellent cup of coffee every time from my machine at a fraction of the Nespresso Pod costs.

Sunday, 6 March 2016

We were in ALDI today and they are doing a special on Pod Coffee machines this weekend.

It comes in 3 colours and is £49 which is pretty cheap by any standards. As with all ALDI deals this will be a one off for the time being and once the machines are gone, they won't be back for a long time.

Although, I don't need a machine, having recently bought one, they had some coffee capsules 10 for £1.70 and as the machine said it was Nespresso compatible I bought some two packs of the capsules, and a capsule holder for £3.49.

However, when I went to make a cup of the strong ALCAFE INTENSE category 9 coffee:

the machine made some rather odd noises and didn't appear to give me as much of a cup as I expected, although it tasted very strong and was a good cup of coffee. It wasn't until I was emptying the machine that I realised there must have been a problem. The pod receiving tray, was 1/3 full of coffee and water, which accounted for my low measure with the ALCAFE INTENSE coffee pod.

So what was the problem?

Looking at the top of the coffee pod shows its identical to Nespresso capsules in size and shape, so no issues there:

But looking at the back of the capsule, tells a whole different story. New espresso and Nespresso capsules have a round protruding back as can be seen below:

When they are used this back is pushed in by the machine and 3 sharp prongs puncture the back of the capsule and the machine also breaks into the front foil as can be see below.

In this way the machine can force hot water 'under pressure' through the coffee pod to make the coffee.

Unfortunately, the ALCAFE INTENSE coffee pods have a rigid indented back so the espresso and Nespresso machine spikes cannot pierce the back and therefore cannot force the water through the capsule properly.

Therefore. If like me you thought that these relatively cheap ALDI coffee cartridges were compatible with your Nespresso machine as they come out of the packet, they are not. This is a shame as it appears to be good tasting coffee.

Luckily for me, my machine appears to have a pressure failsafe mechanism built into it, and when it could not force the hot pressured steam through the capsule, it pushed it into the capsules catching tray inside the machine. It dealt with the safely.

The next question is what to do with the other remaining 18 x capsules now my Dog Bree has very efficiently chewed up the boxes, I don't think I can take them back loose ;-)

I hope you find this Blog entry useful. I certainly have. Rest assured I will think up a suitable fixed1t solution to use the spare 18 pods.

If these are no longer in ALDI as it may have been one of their 'One Off' sales. I now have the KRUPS Nespresso Inissia and love it:

Its cheap small and easy to use, I'd throughly recommend it and my #fixed1tMONEYSAVINGtips make it all the better as can be seen in my fixed1t YouTube playlist

Friday, 4 March 2016

Nespresso coffee pod style machines are expensive to run with coffee capsules in boxes of 10 and for the majority of cases, always expensive. There are a range of machines and makers, the machine I purchased and used in my experiments is the Espressina Pod Machine

Espressina Pod Coffee Machine

The best known coffee machine is Nespresso, from the George Cloon ads fame. They differ from the others in offering a wide range of coffees, with regular marketings of specialist coffees (at specialist prices). Quite often people purchase these machines or are given these machines as presents for the quality of the coffee they produce, but also the convenience of filling it, switching it on, putting in the pod and hitting the button. For people with busy lives they are a welcome relief.

So if the coffee is expensive, and I'm boiling a kettle constantly to make tea, then this machine isn't as useful or functional as I first thought, right?What drew me to this machine was its marketing that it could make coffee and Tea, so I tried some of their tea,

Tespresso - English Breakfast Tea

Unfortunately, I didn't like it. I personally like my tea weak and not full of Tannin, but I found their tea was like water. The fact that they did Tea pods at all, made me think and I decided to experiment, I like experimenting.

So opened up one of the espresso Plastic Coffee Capsules, empty it, and then fill it with tea. I tried this and ended up with a mess.

Then I thought why not just put a tea bag in the pod and put it in the machine

This worked but it wasn't quite as simple as that, as I explain in my video.

I hope you like the video and share it with other people you know with Nespresso Pod using coffee machines. I now make all my cups of tea using this method, its:

quick

reliable

clean

I can throughly recommend it, especially as it saves money on expensive coffee pods.

#fixed1tMONEYSAVINGtips

After getting a lot of capsule leakage from the Espresso Machine.

I now have the KRUPS Nespresso Inissia and love it

Its cheap small and easy to use, I'd throughly recommend it and my #fixed1tMONEYSAVINGtips make it all the better as can be seen in my fixed1t YouTube playlist

About Me

When I couldn't fix a fuzz box, I decided to build a synth on the grounds that once I'd built a synth a fuzz box repair would be kids play.. I was right and I'm still building synths. Along the way I learned about technology, chips, electronics, programming, music, mental health, Artificial Intelligence and Robots.

I've run companies, developed companies and turned around failing businesses.